Creamy Garlic Lemon Pasta (with Roasted Garlic)
A creamy garlic lemon pasta made with sweet roasted garlic, fresh lemon, and parmesan. A silky, flavorful sauce that’s easy to bring together and works with any pasta shape.
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- 200 grams dried pasta (or 300 grams fresh)
- 2 whole heads garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 30 grams butter cubed
- ½ teaspoons pepper
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 - 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Zest of a lemon
- 50 grams parmesan finely grated with a microplane or equivalent
- Red pepper flakes to serve (optional)
Instructions
For the garlic
- Preheat your oven to 200 c (400 f)
- Prepare your garlic bulbs. Take off the outer papery layers and cut the top off horizontally. You want to cut off just enough that you expose the tops of the cloves.
- Drizzle the top with olive oil then wrap up each one individually in foil and roast in the oven for about 45 mins or until the cloves are soft and starting to caramelize.
- When roasted to your liking let them cool and then squeeze all the garlic out. I like to use the back of a spoon on a chopping board to turn it into a smooth paste.
For the sauce
- Cook your pasta in a pot of well salted boiling water, reserving a cup of pasta water before draining.
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Let it foam up slightly then add the pepper and stir.
- Add the garlic paste and whisk (you don't need to add all of it, I love garlic so add it to taste!)
- Add the cream and whisk, lowering the heat so it stays at only a very gentle simmer.
- Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk again.
- Add the parmesan in a few additions, whisking and letting it melt between each one.
- Let it gently simmer for a couple of minutes until it thickens slightly.
- Add the cooked pasta straight into the sauce with ¼ cup of pasta water and let it bubble for a minute so the sauce clings to the pasta. Add more pasta water as needed to loosen.
- My biggest tip is that you want it on the saucier side so add more pasta water if you need it to loosen. Pasta soaks up sauce quickly so by making it super saucy in the pan then by the time you serve it into bowls it will be perfect!
- I like to top the pasta with extra lemon zest and some red pepper flakes.
Video
Notes
Adjust the lemon and garlic to taste - The amount of roasted garlic and lemon is flexible. Start with less and add more to suit your taste, especially with the lemon as it can vary in strength.
Parmesan - Freshly grated parmesan melts much better. Pre-grated versions can affect the texture of the sauce.
Cream - I find heavy cream the most stable for cooking in sauces.
Lemon - If you are worried about curdling then add it at the end with the pasta.
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